Wine
Alexander Wines serves up Christmas with a twist
Peter Ranscombe pops the corks on some exciting alternative festive choices. I’M AS guilty as anyone else when it comes to reaching for the same old favourites at Christmas. A bottle of Chablis, a bottle of pinot noir, and a bottle of something with bubbles in it, and I’m usually set for the festivities to…
Read MoreAcceptable in the 80s: Errazuriz’s cabernet
Peter Ranscombe climbs back into his vinous time machine to join a virtual ‘vertical’ tasting of wines from Chile. DO YOU remember 1989? It was the year that Margaret Thatcher road tested her “poll tax” in Scotland. It was the year that David Hasselhoff single-handedly brought down the Berlin Wall. And it was the year…
Read MoreDo wine glass shapes affect taste?
Peter Ranscombe sticks his snout into various shapes of glasses to see if they affect the smell and the taste of popular wines. IT’S the second-most common question I get asked – right after “How do you keep you hair so soft and bouncy?” “Does the shape of the glass affect the taste of the…
Read MoreWhat does wine taste like in a cardboard bottle?
Peter Ranscombe puts a wine that comes in innovative packaging through its paces. BACK in June, Scottish wine merchant Woodwinters revealed it would be stocking an Italian wine – in a cardboard bottle. Packaging maker Frugalpac has come up with a container made from 94% recycled cardboard, with the liner inside accounting for the remaining…
Read MorePaul Wedgwood proves prosecco’s pairing prowess
Two online tastings prompt Peter Ranscombe to muse on how well Italian sparkling wine can match to food. THINK prosecco, think aperitif – whether it’s a dinner party or a gallery opening or a glass to kick-off a night out, Italy’s all-conquering bubbles are a popular choice. Yet two online gatherings in recent weeks have…
Read MoreFour of the best wines for game
Peter Ranscombe catches up with Glasgow wine merchant Séverine Sloboda for some recommendations to go with game. SCOTLAND’S open seasons on game birds are in full swing, from ducks and geese through to grouse and partridge. Chefs have been coming up with a host of exciting recipes, from Mac & Wild’s British Game Alliance grouse…
Read MoreWhy buying wine can also mean planting trees
A new project that links buying wine to planting trees has got Peter Ranscombe pondering the environment. IT’S not every day that you open a box of wine and find a tree poking out. Let me explain – the tree in question was a crab apple sappling. And it was sent as possibly the weirdest…
Read MoreHaving a ceilidh with Yalumba’s ‘Caley’
Peter Ranscombe rediscovers ‘the Great Australian Red’ – and suggests some affordable stepping stones along the way. THE world of wine is full of odd phrases: multiple glasses are served in “wine flights”, a liquid that hangs to the side of the glass is said to have “long legs”, and smells can sometimes – kindly…
Read MoreDid my feet make this port taste weird?
His patriotic shorts may have gone viral, but how did the port turn out when Peter Ranscombe helped tread the grapes? TWO years ago this month, me and my saltire shorts stepped into a vat at Quinta do Noval in Portugal to “help” tread the grapes. It’s a tradition that stretches back hundreds of years,…
Read MoreL’Art du Vin launches its wine club
Peter Ranscombe gets a sneak peak at the new wine club from Fife-based merchant L’Art du Vin. A LITTLE dickie bird tells me that Scottish Field readers are fans of wine clubs – and so I have an insider tip for you. L’Art du Vin, a wine merchant based in Fife, has just launched its…
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